Wasting the Rain
by fee-kh
Summary: Songfic. My first Gilmore fic.


  
  
**Disclaimer:** All things Gilmore do not belong to me and sadly neither does my favourite song, to wit Wasting the rain by Shea Seger. I just love it. Anyway, I was listening to it one day and this picture popped into my head. So I wrote it down. Let me know how well that worked  
  
**Timeline**: Stuck in re-run Germany I am not sure about the whole timeline, but it is after the whole Jess fight because he 'broke my daughter' thing. Christopher is history and no Max, ever. I mean I loved the guy as Wolf, but here, just doesn't work for me.  
**Info: **'_in italics_ ' signifies Lorelai's thoughts, (_in italics_ ) is her inner voice. [_in italics_ ] signifies Luke's thoughts on the one occasion where they appear in here. Oh! And the song really starts with a news announcement, at least on the version I have.  
  
**A/N**: I have a couple of questions, too. MY computer developed a phobia to the internet a while back. I swear she's a closet yomputer hypochondriac. Every day it would be something different. Anyway to get back to subject. I couldn't get on the net to read fanfics for a while and I come back and there are new acronyms everywhere. So can somebody tell me what 'narco' and BB mean. I get that it is couples and will probably feel really stupid when somebody tells me, but please indulge me. Oh, and please don't just stick to the first R in R&R.  
**_Wasting the rain....  
_**  
  
As Lorelai stepped out of Dooses, a quick glance at the sky showed that she was not going to make it home, before the wall of rain hit. There was no way she would wait out the storm with Taylor.  
_'I'd rather have a date with a skunk.'  
_The only other option however was the diner and after the thing with Jess, her and Luke weren't talking.  
_'Which sucks in so many ways. Plus my coffee just isn't the same.'  
_Lorelai knew she had overreacted about the whole Rory-broken thing, but it was hard to admit out loud. Not as hard, as admitting to herself that coffee wasn't the only thing she was missing.  
  
The first heavy drops of rain shook Lorelai out of her reverie.  
_'This is ridiculous – it's only Luke for crying out loud. He's not going to bite your head off. Now get your ass over there and quickly!'   
_"Okay, okay, I'm going."  
With annoyance Lorelai realised that her inner dialogue had let enough time pass, for it to seriously start raining, although the really black clouds were still a bit away from Star's Hollow.  
  
Making a mad dash for it, Lorelai hit the door of the dinner, setting the bell's jingling madly. Shaking the rain from her coat, she glanced around, surprised to see that the diner was empty, not even Luke to be seen.  
_ 'The bright people, like Rory, probably stayed at home.'  
_  
"I'll be with you in a minute." Luke's voice called from the back.  
  
Lorelai shivered. '_From the cold.' (And not because you haven't heard Luke's voice in ages, of course.)_  
  
Dropping her purse and coat on a chair, Lorelai stood by the window and stared out on the square. The roiling black clouds were gradually blocking out more and more light, until a green half-light filled the diner, shadows softening the outline of tables and chairs. Outside, the wind was driving sheets of rain in front of it.  
  
Lorelai blinked as the overhead lights went on with a snap. Spinning around she saw Luke standing by the light switch. For a second they stared at one another, then Lorelai turned back to the window, looking at the square now washed clean of summer grime.  
  
"Coffee?" Lorelai yelped, once again looking Luke in the eye, though this time he broke contact first. Placing a mug on the counter, he filled it with steaming coffee, then took a step back, leaving the cup in neutral territory. Slowly Lorelai walked over and sat on a stool, wrapping her cold fingers around the warmth of the mug.  
  
Silence descended once again, a heavy cloying silence, which clung like molasses to Lorelai's skin, dampening any and every sound the two might have made. Lorelai glanced at Luke from under her lashes, then back down at the coffee growing cold as it stood unsipped.  
  
"This is stupid!" Lorelai's outburst was shockingly loud, making them both jump. She subsided again, unsure on how to continue.  
  
A glaring flash exploded in the square and, fading, took all light with it, leaving the two in the silence of the dinner to blink away the afterimages burned into their retinas. For a brief second Lorelai was confused, then thunder shook the building.  
  
"Powers out." Luke stated. "Don't move. You could hurt yourself. I have candles here somewhere."  
"NO!" Lorelai said, before she could stop herself. The shadow of Luke froze. "No." she repeated more calmly. "I have to talk to you and it's easier when I can't see you."  
  
"Is it?" The shadow sounded bitter.  
  
"Yeah, it's like practising at home. I can pretend you're the mirror." Lorelai attempted a flippant laugh and failed miserably.  
  
"You practiced?" The Luke-shadow drifted closer.  
  
"Luke, I'm sorry. I had no right to yell at you like that, when you went to see if Jess was okay. It's just Rory is my baby and it scared me that she could be – "  
"It's okay, Lorelai. I'm sorry, too." Luke leaned against the counter and then almost missed Lorelai's whispered answer.  
"Forgive me?"  
"Done. Forgive me?"  
Lorelai laughed, relieved. "Of course. Just, please don't shut me out again. I don't think I can bear it again. Promise that next time we will scream at each other until it is solved." 'why is this so important to me?' she mused.  
  
"I was hurt, Lorelai. I thought you trusted me. I would never let anything happen to Rory, but I had to see where Jess was."  
  
"I know that. I wasn't thinking. Rory's never been ill before. I mean she's never been in hospital before. Well, apart from that first time, when I had her. I just..."  
  
"It's okay, Lorelai, really.  
"Friends?"  
"Yeah, okay, friends." Lorelai could have sworn she detected a note of disappointment in Luke's voice, which was echoed in her.  
_'Why am I sad we're friends. This is good. No more not talky Luke. More coffee-teasing Luke.' she asked herself.  
(Because you want to be more of course.)  
_Lorelai blushed hotly, glad once again for the darkness shrouding the diner.   
_'No, I don't. It's Luke! So there.'  
(Exactly)   
_Lorelai wasn't sure if she liked this new part of herself – it talked entirely too much about things it knew nothing about.  
_(Now you're lying to yourself.)  
'And how would you know. GOD, I am talking to myself. I am now officially insane.'  
(Of course, I know, I'm you. And anyway talking to yourself makes you schizophrenic, not insane, or maybe that's the same thing. Anyway you're not insane, just swimming in a certain river in Egypt.)  
'AM NOT! I know perfectly well, that I love Luke. So there.'  
_Smug silence  
_'OH!'  
(Pray tell, what gave it away? The fact that is always there for you when you need him, that you run to him in all problems, that you're not happy, unless you have seen and teased him, enough UST floating around to power the entire state of Connecticut, the fact that he is more of a father to your daughter than Christopher and that you like it like that?)  
'Okay, I get it already. I am not that thick.'  
(Well that's debateable. I mean most people would call what you two have a relationship without the perks.)  
'So I really love him? I buy him clothes, I want him to be happy. I keep him on his toes.'  
(Yes! God, you love him. Trust me. I – your inner subconscious voice – know this. Enough already. Just get on with it and get those perks!)  
_Inner voices could be so annoying, sometimes.  
_(But you love me, anyway)  
_"God, I am so dense!" Lorelai shouted, causing Luke to drop the cup he was holding. It landed on the dishcloth, though so didn't break.  
"Lorelai! Give some warning next time, before you try to give me a heart attack!" Luke groused.  
  
Lorelai ignored him, too busy hugging her realisation to herself.  
_ 'Luke and Lorelai sitting in a tree – k.i. –'  
_Lorelai froze; the kissing part had hit her hard. She wanted to kiss Luke. Right now! But how to accomplish it? Okay, first act cool, which is totally easy because I am the queen of cool.  
  
Lorelai stood up and went back to looking out the window, mulling her options over in her head. The rain was still coming down strongly, occasional gusts of wind tore through the square, rattling the door and tugging at the trees before dissipating. It felt like she and Luke were the last people left in Star's Hollow.  
_ 'GAH! I hate this. I'm Action Girl, not planny girl, where's mini-me with a list when you need her?'  
(At home, curled up with a book, waiting for you to come home.)  
_ _'I know. Stop telling me things I already know and tell me something I don't know – like how to get my hands on Luke._' Lorelai felt a shiver got through her at the thought of getting her hands on Luke.  
_(Ummmm)  
'HAH! I knew you wouldn't be able to think of anything. For you are me and I have no clue what to'  
(Romance!)  
_ Lorelai was stunned, inner voice had some good ideas after all.  
_ 'Why have you been so quiet all this time, inner me? You couldn't have, I don't know, told me this years ago?'  
(Well, I tried, but your inane chatter about coffee and all things under the sun tended to drown me out.)  
'Hey! It's our inane chatter, thank you very much. Now shut up and let me think. I need a plan.'  
(Oooooooohhhhh, Lorelai planning. Run for the hills everybody.)  
_** GLARE   
**_(Shutting up now.)  
'Thank you. What to do, what to do...'  
_  
"Hey, Lorelai. I found the other radio. It runs on batteries, so we should be able to find out what's going on and when the power will come back." Luke said from the counter.  
  
Lorelai jumped a little. "That's good." _'Wow, eloquent much?'_ "Could I have another coffee?"  
"Well, I'm not sure if it is still hot, but it's yours."  
"What no refusal? No you're going to kill yourself with all that caffeine. You just give it to me?" Lorelai couldn't believe it, momentarily sidetracked.  
"Extreme circumstances. Don't get used to it."  
  
The radio crackled to life as Luke fiddled with the dial. Lorelai sat back and took a sip of lukewarm coffee. _'Hihi luke warm. Mmmmmm. Luke, warm. Warm Luke, warm bed.'_ All thoughts derailed as Lorelai imagined a warm Luke in a warm bed. She almost drooled and flushed. Oblivious Luke continued to fiddle with the radio, when suddenly he found a working channel.  
  
**_...hard rain is currently coming down in the general Hartford area. We advise you to stay inside and not drive as there is a danger of flooding in areas. The storm should pass in the next couple of hours, so until then WKMC will play rainy hits all the way, so cuddle up and enjoy ...  
_**  
"I can't believe this is going to take another couple of hours to clear up, there goes the business. Rory must be worried about you. The phone lines are down, but... Lorelai?"  
"Mmmm, cuddle..."  
"Sorry?"  
"What? Oh, nothing. Mmmm coffee, that's what I said. You know me and coffee. I'll page Rory that I'm good." Lorelai realised she was babbling. _'Pull yourself together, girl.'_  
  
Rory-connection established, Lorelai listened to the radio  
  
**_...perfect song for weather like this. So lean back, get warm and enjoy Shea Seger with Wasting the Rain..._  
**_  
'OH! I know this song, perfect timing. Now to add some romance.'  
_"Hey, Luke, could you light some candles, it's getting kinda dark and gloomy in here."  
"No problem."  
  
**_...Your world in twenty minutes  
Russia denies it wants an escalation of the conflict in Yugoslavia  
Surprise exodus: Two thousand refugees appear at the Albanian and Macedonian borders...  
_**  
With a flare of sulphur, Luke lit the first candle, then blinked at the sudden light. He stared at Lorelai basking in the glow and quickly looked away, shaking his head, _[Not for you, boy]_ and lit more candles.  
  
_'Hah, I saw that. He totally checked me out.'_  
  
**_Come on Baby   
we're wasting the rain _  
**  
Lorelai started humming along and beamed at Luke, who almost dropped the matches he was holding.  
  
**_Can we stay inside and let the world go on it's way  
_**  
_ 'It's a sign, I know it is. Perfect song, perfect timing.'  
_ "Hey, Luke do you know this song? Cause I love it."  
"No."  
_ 'Perfect. How to continue?'_  
  
**_Give me one kiss for every moment that remains  
So Come on Baby  
we're wasting the rain  
_**  
Luke had lit all the candles he had and, unable to find anything else to occupy himself, sat down across from Lorelai.  
  
**_Come on Baby  
and let me see you smile  
_**  
Right on cue, Lorelai launched her patent-pending guaranteed to get a response smile at Luke, who couldn't help but grin back.  
  
**_It's the place on you I love the most  
but it's been a while  
_**  
"Too true." Lorelai said, looking at Luke.  
"What?" Luke was thoroughly confused now.  
  
**_Those all important things to do outside can wait  
Come on Baby we're wasting the rain  
_**  
Lorelai stood up and walked behind the counter, moving closer to Luke, smiling all the while. Nervously her quarry retreated._  
_"What are you - ?"_  
_"Sssshhhh. Just listen to the song will you."_  
_  
**_These days were made for making love  
A million tears from up above  
_**  
"Oh." Luke stared at her, a smile forming on his face.  
"Yes, oh." She smiled at him again and, lightly laying her hands on his arms, pressed her lips to his.  
_ 'WOW, much better in reality.'  
_  
**_Love is like a river  
Takes some time to keep it flowing  
_**  
The kiss stayed gentle for all of three seconds, then Luke hauled her against his body and, slanting his head, deepened the kiss dramatically.  
** '-----'** no thoughts could manifest in Lorelai's brain.  
  
**_Come on Baby  
and lock the door   
Love can take you places  
that you've never been before   
_**  
Without breaking the kiss, Luke swung Lorelai up, so she was sitting on the counter, then smoothly moved between her legs.  
  
**_Somehow the showers only seem to fuel the flame   
_**  
Breathing heavily, Luke rested his forehead against Lorelai's, then leaned back, sweeping her flushed face with a self-satisfied glance. She was heavy-lidded, with swollen lips. Stroking her cheek lightly, Luke said: "You, too, then."  
Lorelai smiled hazily. "You could say I had an epiphany. I'm sorry it took so long.  
"Worth every second of waiting."  
  
**_Come on Baby  
here they come again  
Come on Baby  
we're wasting the rain_  
**  
The second kiss was even better than the first one.  
  
**The Beginning  
**


End file.
